Pinarai Vijayan

Pinarayi Vijayan (; born 24 May 1945) is an Indian politician who has served as the Chief Minister of Kerala since 25 May 2016. A member of the politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), he is the longest-serving secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) (1998–2015). He has also served as Minister of Electric Power and Co-operatives during the third E. K. Nayanar ministry. Vijayan won a seat in the May 2016 Kerala Legislative Assembly election and 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election as the CPI(M) candidate for Dharmadom constituency and was selected as the leader of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and became the 12th Chief Minister of Kerala. He is the first chief minister from Kerala to be re-elected after completing a full term (five years) in office. In 2022, he also became the longest-continuous serving chief minister of Kerala surpassing C. Achutha Menon who had been the first to remain in office for 2364 consecutive days.

Early and personal life

Vijayan was born on 24 May 1945 in Pinarayi, Kannur, Kerala, as the youngest son of Maroli Koran and Alakkatt Kalyani. He had 14 siblings of whom only three survived. After graduating from school, he worked as a handloom weaver for a year before joining for a pre-university course in the Government Brennen College, Thalassery. Subsequently, he earned B.A. Economics degree from the same college.

He is married to Kamala Vijayan and has two children, daughter Veena Vijayan who is married to P. A. Mohammed Riyas and son Vivek Kiran Vijayan. His wife is a retired teacher.

Political career

Early political career (1964–1970)

Pinarayi Vijayan entered politics through student union activities at Government Brennen College, Thalassery. He eventually joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1964. Vijayan became Kannur district secretary of the Kerala Students Federation (KSF), which later became the Students Federation of India (SFI). He went on to become the state secretary and subsequently the state president of KSF. He then moved on to Kerala State Youth Federation (KSYF), which later became the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). He became the president of the state committee. During that period, when communists in Kerala were organising the political activities from different hide-outs, Pinarayi Vijayan was imprisoned for one and a half years. Later, he was elected as the president of the Kerala state co-operative bank. He became the Kannur district secretary of the CPI(M) when M.V. Raghavan left the party over the 'alternative document' row.

Kerala Assembly (1970–present)

At the age of 25, in 1970 assembly election Vijayan contested from Kuthuparamba and won the seat making him Kerala's youngest legislator, a record still unbroken. He was elected to the Assembly in 1970, 1977 and 1991 from Kuthuparamba, in 1996 from Payyanur and in 2016, 2021 from Dharmadom.

Electoral performance in Kerala Assembly

During Emergency (1975)

During the emergency rule, when communists in Kerala were organising the political activities from different hide-outs, many CPI(M) members and leaders including Pinarayi Vijayan was imprisoned for one and a half years. He was arrested and tortured by police. After his release, Pinarayi Vijayan reached the Kerala Legislative Assembly and made an impassionate speech against senior Congress leader K. Karunakaran holding up the blood-stained shirt he wore when in police custody, causing serious embarrassment to the then C. Achutha Menon government.

Minister of Electricity (1996–1998)

In the 1996 assembly election, E. K. Nayanar led LDF won the election and Vijayan was appointed Minister of Electricity. Under his ministry Kerala made huge progress in the generation and distribution of electricity towards self-sufficiency.

State Secretary of CPIM (Kerala) (1998–2016)

In 1998, he became the state secretary of the CPI(M), following the death of the incumbent Chadayan Govindan. He was elected to the Politburo of the CPI(M) in 2002. After resigning the post as the Minister of Electricity in 1998, Vijayan assumed as state secretary of CPI(M) for 18 years. As the party has been declining in West Bengal, Tripura and rest of India, under his leadership CPI(M) saw the base of the party strengthening up in the State. He led the party to a landslide victory in the 2004 Indian general election, 2006 Kerala assembly election, 2014 Indian general election and 2016 Kerala assembly election.

On 26 May 2007 the CPI(M) suspended Pinarayi Vijayan and V. S. Achuthanandan from the Politburo for their public remarks on each other. Pinarayi was reinstated into the Politburo later.

Chief Minister (2016–present)

First term (2016–2021)

Following the 2016 Legislative Assembly election, Pinarayi Vijayan became the Chief Minister of Kerala. The swearing-in ceremony of his Left Democratic Front ministry with 19-member cabinet was held on 25 May 2016. Vijayan held the charge of Home Affairs & Vigilance Departments along with the other portfolios normally held by the Chief Ministers, and not mentioned elsewhere. He is elected from Dharmadom constituency.

Second term (2021–present)

The 2021 election of Kerala saw the incumbent government of Vijayan led Left Democratic Front (LDF) retained to power with 99 seats, 8 more than in the previous election, marking the first time that an alliance won consecutive terms in the state since its 1977 election. Pinarayi Vijayan also became the only Chief minister of Kerala to get re-elected after completing full five-year term in the office. The Council assumed office on 20 May 2021. The ministry is having a total of 21 ministers in the Cabinet compared to 20 ministers in the previous government. In November 2022, Vijayan became the longest continuous serving chief minister of Kerala.

Positions held

* 1964 - Member, CPIM Kerala
* 1965 - District secretary, Kerala Student's Federation (KSF), Kannur
* 1966 - State President, Kerala Student's Federation (KSF), Kerala
* 1968 - District secretary, Kerala State Youth Federation (KSYF), Kannur
* 1969 - State President, Kerala State Youth Federation (KSYF), Kerala
* 1970 - MLA Kuthuparamba (Term 1)
* 1971 - President, Kerala State Co-operative Bank
* 1972 - District Secretary, CPIM, Kannur
* 1977 - MLA Kuthuparamba (Term 2)
* 1978 - State committee member, CPIM Kerala
* 1988 - State secretariat member, CPIM Kerala
* 1991 - MLA Kuthuparamba (Term 3)
* 1996 - Minister of Electricity, Kerala State.
* 1996 - MLA Payyanur (Term 4)
* 1998 - State secretary, CPIM Kerala
* 2002 - Member, Politburo of the CPIM
* 2016 - Chief Minister of Kerala (Term 1)
* 2016 - MLA Dharmadam (Term V)
* 2021 - Chief Minister of Kerala (Term 2)
* 2021 - MLA Dharmadam (Term VI)

Awards and honours

* Pinarayi Vijayan was awarded ''Gandhidarsan'' award for the best chief minister in 2018.
*The Institute of Human Virology honoured Pinarayi Vijayan for effective control of 2018 Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala in Baltimore, United States. Noted bio-medical scientist and co-founder of the institute Robert Gallo presented awards to the Chief Minister and the Health Minister of Kerala.

Controversies

Pinarayi Vijayan was one among the accused in Kerala's first political murder case, of that of Vadikkal Ramakrishnan who was killed by an axe on 28 April 1969. Though the court acquitted all the accused of lack of evidence, this has been used by various political opponents to portray the violent nature of CPI(M) - RSS conflicts in Kannur which has taken more than 200 lives of supporters from both factions.

The SNC Lavalin controversy in Kerala was a major allegation that rocked Kerala politics. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India report had stated that the deal Vijayan had struck as electricity minister in 1998 with Lavalin, a Canadian firm, for the repair of three generators, had cost the state exchequer a staggering Rs 375 crores. On 16 January 2007, Kerala High Court ordered a CBI enquiry into the SNC Lavalin case. There are also reports that the CAG did not report any losses to state exchequer, but that the project did not yield commensurate gains. Pinarayi Vijayan had been named as the 9th accused in the case by CBI. The CPM led Kerala Government decided not to let Vijayan be prosecuted in the case. Over-ruling the cabinet recommendation, the Governor allowed CBI to prosecute Vijayan. Though CPI(M) called Governor's move un-constitutional, then Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said there is nothing surprising or wrong in Governor's decision. On 5 November 2013, the CBI special court discharged Pinarayi Vijayan and the others accused from the list of accused in the SNC-Lavalin Case. The court has allowed a plea made by Pinarayi Vijayan asking his name to be removed from the list of accused in the case. The court held that there isn't any proof of dishonest and fraudulent intentions, abuse of official position and cheating.

On 16 February 2007 the airport security in Chennai Airport recovered five bullets from Vijayan's baggage. The Chennai airport security let him off after receiving a faxed copy of his license. As CPI(M) state secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan demanded that the Catholic Church in Kerala withdraw a controversial pastoral letter. The letter recommended a "liberation struggle" on the lines of the one in the 1950s to liberate the education sector in Kerala from state control so that the management could charge fees and capitation without government intervention. During the 2018 Kerala floods, the Government of Kerala was accused of misappropriating a large amount from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund which was collected during the floods.

Kerala Public Service Commission row over temporary appointments and delay of appointments from rank lists to permanent posts. Deep sea fishing controversy over deal between Kerala Industrial Development Corporation (KIDC) and EMCC International India Private Limited. Covid protocol violations. In 2020, Vijayan faced heat from various opposition parties after several members of the chief minister's office were accused in the 2020 Kerala gold smuggling case. The suspended principal secretary of IT department Mr. M. Shivasankar was arrested in connection with the investigation of the Gold smuggling case.

In May 2021, the Kerala government planned to spend ₹98 lakh to renovate the Chief Minister's official residence, and PWD granted the project to the Uralungal Society without inviting tenders.

Notes

References

External links

Pinarayi Vijayan discusses the future of the left in India
. ''Tehelka'', Volume 12 Issue 17, Dated 25 April 2015.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vijayan, Pinarayi
Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Kerala
Politicians from Kannur district
Malayali politicians
1945 births
Living people
Kerala MLAs 1970–1977
Kerala MLAs 1977–1979
Kerala MLAs 1991–1996
Kerala MLAs 2016–2021
Chief ministers of Kerala
Chief ministers from Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Kerala MLAs 1996–2001
Kerala MLAs 2021–2026